Bittered Love
by SprSteve
Summary: A darker fic about love and the strains it creates.  Trunks escapes one hurtful situation just to find complications in another with an old friend. TrunksPan  Eventual Lemon, Corrections have been made to name mix up.
1. Chapter 1  Stains of Betrayal

Author's Note: I just wanted to say this is my first story in some time and I just wanted to thank everyone who is taking the time to read it. I do plan on this fic having a rather dark undertone, so I hope that doesn't scare of any potential readers. As a disclaimer, none of the Dragon Ball characters used in this story are mine and therefore I do not own them.

...So I was having my friend read over this chapter and next chapter for errors, and right after starting to read this he was like, dude, do you realize you have Bra, Trunks' sister. So, I don't know why, but when I was thinking Marron, I wrote Bra. I have however went back and fixed the mistake in this chapter and corrected it in the second chapter as well. Also, thanks Ladybugg for also noticing. I'm sure most of you were like, what the hell, why does he have Trunks dating Bra. Yeah, I feel extremely stupid but for whatever reason, when i was thinking Marron when I typed Bra. So before I post my second chapter, you may wish to re-read with the corrections please feel free. But damn, do I ever feel stupid.

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This tale begins a little after a happier tale would have ended…

Trunks, a young man still in his early twenties, sat in his airplane seat with eyes darkened by a settling truth. His seat was in the back of coach, tucked against the window and far from the hustle of the aisle. He was currently alone in this exile as the seats surrounding him were unoccupied by any possibly intruding airline patrons. On this long, oversea night flight, the one solace that Trunks found was in the relatively few passengers that were making this journey, as he was in no mood for large crowds and talkative nobodies trying to make harmless small talk.

"Sir, can I interest you in a refreshment of some kind?" asked the stewardess politely as she caught the brooding Trunks off guard.

He jumped slightly at being startled by her unintentional intrusion. His dark eyes flashed towards her from behind the black framed glasses that attempted to hide them in the shadows they cast. "No thank you miss. I don't believe any of your snacks are capable of refreshing my spirit," Trunks said with a tinge in his voice that made the flight attendant's head cock slightly to the side. Though he was trying to be humorous in his comment, she somehow seemed to see through the façade.

Her eyes softened as she stared deep into the young man's vision of sadness. She took in the puffiness and the shadowed entrapments that hid with the help of his long lavender locks. Not to pry into his guarded time any farther, she simply said, "Smile." With that, she was on her way down the aisle pushing her cart.

Trunks watched as the well-aged stewardess pushed her refreshment cart leisurely down the aisle towards the next nearest passenger. She asked a heavyset man, some three rows in front of himself the same politely rehearsed question he had just heard. He let her air of seemingly universal kindness sweep over him, and well, couldn't stop himself from letting a smile escape. It was merely a slight smile that cracked the sadness of his lips but it was the first time he had smiled in several days now.

----------------------------Flashback------------------------------

In the back of his scariest thoughts, he feared it was coming before his eyes actually betrayed him, but still he's heart hoped against his head. If he had not let himself hope so greatly for a love that obviously had no interest in him, perhaps his heart wouldn't fill so dashed and ripped into pieces.

True, Trunks and Marron's love hadn't been easy or perfect all the time and had in fact been quite trying and difficult. To say that their love had a tumultuous beginning would only begin to describe their romantic tale. However, through steady dedication to a love they had stitched together, he felt that everything had finally come together to form his storybook ending. Yet, fairytales are often fickle fates that never really seem to find fruition. The bitter truth of this found Trunks' eyes when he discovered Marron in bed with a friend of hers she had known for several years.

It's an awful thing for any fooled lover to discover, the woman whom he had spent weeks searching for the perfect ring to endow her finger, was now sleeping naked and entwined with a man other than himself. Their clothes and several bottles of wine were easy to find littered throughout Trunks' apartment. By the time he had made his way to the bedroom, his fingertips were cold from clutching the neck of the chilled bottle of wine and from the devastating sight before him, so when it slipped from his grasp it was of no true surprise to him. Along with the bottle crashing to the floor was a small, black velvet box.

Trunks turned on his heels as the bottle broke, waking Marron and her sleeping companion, as the box tumbled across the floor and opened itself only to lies.

Marron's head was still spinning as she snaps up quickly from the bed with the sheet tucked around her curvy nude form. Her eyes blink haphazardly as she tries to take in the familiar ghost who was now heading hastily towards the door.

"Trunks!" she cries out in vein before hearing the door close behind him. Marron's gaze falls to the floor of the entrance of the bedroom where she notices the shattered wine bottle and it's now hundreds of lonely pieces scattered across the dark hardwood floor. The crimson liquid runs from the broken bottle to the wide-open black box. The wine bathes the diamond ring and stains the trademark of eternity with bitter betrayal. Marron's eyes widen like never before, "Trunks…" she barely whispers as her back falls against the wall and slumps down to the floor, her blonde hair hanging in dismay around her.

For the following few days Trunks stayed with a friend of his from the University. He had to try to straighten out his head from the massive mess that had just been made of his love life. He had just days ago finished the last exam of his collegiate career and the graduation ceremony was a mere week away. Yet, now he felt like it was all for not. He had just lost the person he wanted to share a lifetime with. The only decision he could make was the one to skip his own graduation and skip town. Heading back home to his family and good friends just seemed safe. They had always been there for all the hardships and he knew they would always continue to be. It would just be an interesting conversation to have with his parents as to why he was home.

----------------------------End Flashback------------------------------

The flight overseas was a long reflective one. His thoughts were often of Marron despite his best efforts. When he was finally able to quiet his mind enough to fall asleep, it was only for a brief time, because soon after, the plane's captain announced they would be landing shortly.

'It won't be long till Marron and the betrayal is an ocean away,' Trunks thought to himself, 'Only if I could leave the memories of her across the sea as well.' Yet he knew that they would haunt him now and for the future. 'Only if… Only if I could make myself forget such things, erase such memories.'

The morning was still very young when Trunk's flight finally touched down, with the sun just beginning to peak over the horizon. Thankfully, for his current impatience and anxiousness, the runway was clear and they had no wait when docking. The plane coasted up to the docking terminal and the pilot made quick work of securing to the terminal.

At the first opportunity, Trunks reached for his carry-on luggage and made for the exit. As he stepped through the open hatch of the plane and onto the terminal the stewardess from before flashed him a glance that gathered his attention. She wore a half-smile and her eyes offered him empathy. "Smile," again was all she said as he exited the plane. With that final glance, he was through the opening and walking down the exit ramp.

'I wish I had something to smile about,' Trunks thought with a sigh as he made his way through the gate and into the main walkway of the airport. He walked hastily through the crowds, passing the baggage pick-up as he went. There wasn't any chance Trunks had gone back to that scar filled apartment to pack things before heading out. In fact, as soon as his mind was made to escape, that's exactly what he did, leaving all memory-engraved possessions behind.

Most would still consider this early in the morning, so though the crowds were present, they were a bit thinner than one may expect to find at an airport. Trunks kept his head and gaze low as he navigated through the forgettable faces. Therefore, he shouldn't have been surprised when he bumped into another who was paying as little attention as he.

"Sorry," Trunks muttered as his shoulder recoiled from the collision. He didn't say another word as he hurriedly readjusted his glasses back on to the bridge of his nose. He never raised his eyes to see whom he had rudely crashed into before quickly continuing on his way.

The raven-haired beauty that had nearly lost her balance in the collision was in a state of awed shock. Her lovely form was rigid as she watched a lavender locked memory walk steadily away from her. Her dark, captivating eyes blinked rapidly in disbelief as the tall, well-framed figure disappeared into the bustle. Her foot instinctively took a step toward pursuing him, her mouth parting to call out after him. Yet alas, it was too late, he was already gone…again.

"Pan!" cried a voice from a man who gently grabbed her arm from behind, making her jump slightly.

"What happened to you? We have to go Pan or else were going to miss our flight!" said a hasty voice emanating from a stocky man. The man had short dark brown hair which was styled to spike up a little in the front and whose height was just below average. His skin had a dark bronze tone that complemented his well-dressed state. He was rarely seen not wearing a pair of expensive slacks and an equally expensive collared shirt.

Pan continued to stand there in a far off awe for a moment more before replying with a sigh, "You're right Jason, let's go."

With that, her silky raven hair whipped about as she spun swiftly around and continued on her way to her departure gate. She paused only once more before walking through the gate and onto the ramp. Her eyes searched the faces for the one she had known, but finally conceded and stepped through the gate.

Trunks hastened his pace after his accidental encounter. 'Way to go Trunks,' he thought to himself, 'You're trying not to draw attention to yourself and what do you go do? You crash into someone.'

Trunks lectured himself about remaining inconspicuous because when you're a member of the prestigious Brief's family, who owns the renown Capsule Corporation, people know who you are. Especially the handsome young Trunks, who is expected to inherit the company from his enterprising mother, Bulma. So if even one person was to recognize him and say something to the crowd, Trunks would be hard pressed to maneuver through questioning masses. He was far from the mood of living up to the celebrity of being Capsule Corporation's heir. All he wanted was to be home and soon.

As Trunks walked through the doors of the airport and out into the dawn, his senses were met with a cool flowing breeze. He stood there for a moment as the cool air kissed at his face, before rising slowly from the ground and then jetting towards the Capsule compound. He could have continued to let his powers remain latent and whistled for a cab to take him home, similar to the fact he took a plane ride across the ocean instead of just flying himself, which would have been far faster. At this point, he really just didn't care if anyone felt his power surge as he took flight, he was so close to home.

As he touched down in front of the door to the compound, he did so to the presence of his father standing behind on open door. He had obviously felt Trunks' fluctuation in energy when he started flying.

"Boy! What are you doing here? Why aren't you at the University waiting for our arrival?" Vegeta proclaimed with his muscular arms folded across his bare, battle-scarred chest. The short, black-haired saiyan stood there in only gray sweat pants as he tapped his foot waiting for a response.

"Father," Trunks started as he eased his way past Vegeta and into a large living area. "The reason I'm home has to do with Marron. I hope you understand when I say I don't really want to talk about the details. I thought about holding out and staying for graduation but I just couldn't."

Vegeta stood there for several seconds taking in his son, the drooping head and the tears that seemed to be hanging in his eyes but begging not to fall just yet. Not while he, his father, was there. Vegeta could see some of his own pride in his son now and again. "Son, I will not question you further. However, realize that your mother is still your mother, and when she finds out you're here, well…"

"Yes, I know. But I will just have to deal with that train wreck when it happens."

"Okay, well I'm going to the gravitational room for training," and with that, Vegeta patted his son on the shoulder and left the room.

Trunks smiled, as he knew his father was giving him a few hours of peace before his mother was to find out he was unexpectedly home. He never knew Vegeta to lie to Bulma, so he was sure to tell her that her only son was back home, but if he just avoided her for a while by training he could give Trunks a few hours to collect his thoughts and find some peace.

Trunks strolled quickly down the long hallways and up the familiar stairs so that hopefully no one would see him on his way to his old bedroom. He turned the doorknob to his old room and was greeted by the sights and smells he had left four years ago. His old worn bed never looked so comfortable as he plopped down upon it. He stretched out his arms before interlocking his fingers behind his head and resting upon them. Trunks' mind searched for ways to understand what had happened and how to explain everything to his mother. His eyelids closed slowly and slumber snuck upon him, and before he knew it, Trunks was lost to the torments that awaited him in his dreams…

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Author's Note: Again, my thanks for taking the time to read this first chapter. I live a rather busy life, but I will try my best to have new chapters up ever so often. Please, please review and tell me what you thought, and I'm hoping this first chapter wasn't riddled with too many errors.

I hopefully repaired some more of the errors, especially the name error. If I didn't, someone please tell me so I can go and fix it. I really feel stupid for making such a mistake. I really can't believe I made it. But anyways, hopefully the story sounds less awkard now. Thanks everybody.


	2. Chapter 2  Tears & Rain

Sorry again about all the name mix up with the first chapter, but it should be corrected now. Hopefully that won't happen again. Well, thank you for taking the time to read the first chapter, I hope you like this chapter as well. Please, reviews are always very much appreciated if you would leave any kind of feedback. Thanks again for reading, hope you enjoy.

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3 Months Later...

It was a beautifully ominous night, as the moon hid from sight while the wind whipped wickedly through the trees and moaned over the crisp darkness. Trunks' hair flailed in the swirling gusts; one moment throwing the lavender strands in front of his face while the next contorting the helpless locks in another contrived position. Behind these lavender drapes, his eyes flashed as the darkness for a moment becomes light with a far-off bolt of lightning.

Though the air blows forcefully against his face, Trunks meets the coolness of the wind as a refreshing kiss. Oddly he feels at home with the haughtiness of night. It feels so empty and bittered by the debauchery of the light, as it is left with nothing but stinging reminders of a crying moan through the trees.

Trunks stands on his balcony reflecting upon the day and upon his life, as he had just now resumed the habit of doing once again. It had been a busy day of work involving several new projects that he had implemented shortly after being hired. He of course worked at Capsule Corporation since he was after all the eventual heir to the internationally renowned company. At current, he held the position of Vice President of Special Innovations and Incorporate Designs. It was a smaller department at Capsule that Bulma hoped Trunks' ingenuity would help expand. It would also be helpful that now Trunks was the head of the department, it would be receiving a substantially larger budget.

'Bulma. My Mother,' Trunks thought to himself, 'I have to admit it; she was right about going straight to work and staying as busy as humanly possible. It's impossible not to think about Marron, but being too busy to let my mind trickle to thoughts of her has actually helped more than I thought it would.'

----------------Flashback---------------

"Trunks Briefs!" cried Bulma from the top of her lungs, waking Trunks from his nap that ended up becoming a six hour slumber. He was so startled by his mother be practically leaped from the bed as he was awakened.

Before Trunks could even get his bearings straight, his mother started in on him again, "My son, why in the hell are you here? You're father knows that you're here but he wouldn't tell me why you're here...why? What's going on Trunks?"

Trunks slowly sat back down on his bed and said in a lower, hushed voice, "Mother, this isn't something I really wanna talk about right now."

"Oh no Trunks, you are not Vegeta, so you will tell me why you are home and not getting ready for your graduation, which is only a week away I might add," Bulma proclaimed very assertively while never noticing the rainclouds barely hiding behind Trunks's swollen eyes.

"I'm not going to graduation..." Trunks said still in a hushed tone, with his voice trailing off a bit at the end.

"What! What is this about you not going to graduation? Because believe me Trunks, you're going to your graduation. I never had the chance to go to a university when I was your age because I was too impetuous and always searching for the dragon balls, and god knows your father never went to a university. So like it or not Trunks, we are going to see our son graduate."

Trunks inhaled deeply and took a very long and bated sigh before responding, "Marron cheated on me." The words burned as they passed over his tongue for the first time. To his own surprise, his tears held steadfastly despite the desperate pleas of his heart.

Bulma, not expecting this, was unprepared for such devastating news and stood there wide-mouthed in disbelief.

"I caught her in bed with a friend of hers. So...so I just had to leave, I…I couldn't stay there," Trunks said shakily, and this time his eyes couldn't hold back all the tears as a few streaked down his cheek. The tears left their trail of betrayal to mark the consequences of the vivid images that were engraved into his darkest hauntings.

Tears began to flow from Bulma's eyes as she simply couldn't help but be frozen by the pain she saw etched into her son's face and voice right now. Never before had she seen such an ache scream from his now disenchanted eyes. So badly did she want to sit down next to him and just envelope him into her arms and try to take his pain away, but her feet and legs wouldn't follow the compulsions of her heart. She couldn't help but remain frozen there, continuing to absorb her son's agony.

Trunks, his tears now flowing unchecked, spoke again but in a broken voice, "Ever since it happened, I haven't been able to stop asking myself, why? Why...why did she cheat on me? What brought it to that point for her and how come I...I couldn't see it. And...what if? What if I had just done more, done more of the little things for her? Perhaps I was too selfish and just didn't realize it until I had already ruined everything? If I had been a good boyfriend perhaps I would have shown more appreciation towards her, and that could have been the difference. If I had just done something more maybe she wouldn't have cheated on me."

By this time Bulma had heard enough and was now able to move swiftly to her son's side and wrapped her loving arms around him. "Trunks, listen to me," she began, "you stop saying things like that, right now. Her cheating on you had nothing to do with you and was all to do with a fault of her own making. For as long as you and Marron have dated, I have always noticed you to be not only a good boyfriend, but an excellent boyfriend. I'm not just saying that because I'm your mother, but because it's the truth. You have always been such a passionate person Trunks and you carried that over to your relationship with Marron. You were always doing such wonderfully sweet things for Marron, and I know this because she often bragged about it to her mother. So Trunks Briefs, I don't want you for one more second to ever think those thoughts again. You were wonderful to her; she's the one that is at fault here, son."

All Trunks was able to manage was a mostly fake half smile as he held tightly to his mother. They stayed embraced for several more moments before Bulma retracted from the hug. She raised her hands to gently cup her son's tear tattered face and said, "Trunks, I want you to come work up at Capsule for me. There is a great position that just came available that I think would really benefit from your ingenuity. Besides, Trunks, you are going to desperately need something to take your mind off of Marron. Trust me son."

Trunks wasn't really convinced that having a job was really going to help him get over Marron, but he knew the persistence of his mother, especially when she thought she was right. "Okay mom."

----------------End of Flashback---------------

Ever since then he has worked very long days and weeks to escape Marron's tortuous memories. When he wasn't working or even when he was working, Goten, his best friend since childhood, did his best to keep them both distracted. For Goten was constantly shuttling girls in Trunks's direction in hopes that one of them would catch his interest, despite Trunks's myriad of objections.

----------------Flashback to Earlier in the Week---------------

Trunks had been trapped in his office for what seemed hours on end, yet it was only 10 o'clock in the morning. His department just recently started a new project that Trunks wasn't especially interested in, but he did appreciate its potential for Capsule, so he had went ahead and green-lighted the project anyways.

In frustrated boredom, Trunks stood from his desk and walked to his large bay window, staring out into the bustling city below. Congestion and its hapless nature filled the streets below, so Trunks raised his eyes to gaze at the wide open blue sky. His eyes quickly squinted and focused on a small speck in the horizon, realizing quickly what it was.

Seconds later, Goten was hovering outside the office window tapping on the glass, begging to be let in. Trunks sighed and shook his head as he unlocked the window and opened it inwardly so that Goten could slip in.

"Hey Trunks, what's up? Ya know, for a second there, I thought you weren't gonna let me in," Goten said with a jesting smile on his face.

"Only if I could be so lucky," Trunks said with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah. I wouldn't have to use the window at all, but evidently your mom black-listed me with security, so I can't come up here the normal way. I think she's afraid I'll just distract you from your job," Goten responded with a laugh.

"I wonder if it could be because two weeks ago you talked me into skipping an afternoon of work to go for a fly and then, underhandedly I might add, tricked me into meeting that blonde girl you had been trying to get me to date."

Goten just started laughing and kind of rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh come on Trunks, Michelle was a nice girl."

"Goten my friend, if you know the girl, I can almost assuredly say that she's not a 'nice' girl," responded Trunks as he moved towards his desk.

Goten just smiled wickedly as Trunks said, "Yeah that's what I thought. So what's up, why'd ya drop by?"

"Oh yeah, I was gonna run some lunch plans by you and see what ya thought."

"And they would be?" Trunks said as he sat back down in his office chair.

"Well…I had a couple friends…and I thought the four of us might go to that Italian place off Main Street."

"Hmm…friends huh? So do these two friends' have names? Better yet, are they sisters too?" Trunks questioned ever so mockingly.

"Hey now, just cause I brought those sisters around last week, doesn't mean that every time I run into girls that they are gonna be sisters or even related. Besides, I never said they were girls anyways," Goten responded a little defensively.

"Oh... So Goten, are they girls?"

"Well, yes, but…"

Trunks cut Goten off before he could finish, "Goten. We talked about this. I really do appreciate what you're trying to do, I really do. But I'm just not ready to jump back into that arena yet.

"Dude, I know you are still hurting from what Marron did to you… Man, I know I've never been in love, but I can still imagine what it's like to have my heart torn out like that too. I mean shit; just thinking about it gives me this feeling in the pit of my stomach. But seeing you like this, so dejected and hurt so many weeks later does the same thing to me. Face it Trunks, if you keep hiding from girls and everybody else, your heart isn't ever gonna really start healing. So what do you say dude, just come eat some lunch with me."

"…I gotta get back to work."

----------------End of Flashback---------------

Goten had been a flirt and pretty much a player from the moment girls began to notice him. This still held to form years later as the black-haired young man was rarely seen with the same young lady on more than one occasion.

Growing up, especially during adolescence and the teenage years, they were nearly inseparable and often causing mischief. When Bulma pushed Trunks into attending a premier University overseas, their friendship strained a bit as Goten's family couldn't afford such an expensive academic endeavor. So Goten ended up attending a local University while Trunks was several thousands of miles away. Yet, as life-long friends do, they stayed in touch and were able to remain very close friends for the most part.

One thing that did change for Trunks however, was that while in college he put his womanizing days behind him for the hopes of something more lasting and meaningful; which he did find, for a time anyways, in the arms of Marron. Goten, ever the player, was never able to grasp what had caused Trunks to change. Goten just wasn't ready for love and wanted no part of the baggage that went along with it.

Bringing himself back to the here-and-now, Trunks stared into the thick black sky. 'The darkness is so overwhelming tonight,' Trunks thought as he leaned against the railing of his balcony attempting to gaze out into the blackness that enshrouded the compound. 'If it wasn't for the occasional light provided by the lightning of the approaching storm, it would be utter darkness tonight.'

As if on cue, another bolt crashed down from the sky only a few miles off and lit up the night for a brief moment. Yet it was in that moment Trunks noticed a dark silhouette not thirty feet from himself on the lawn below him.

Slightly startled by the fact he was no longer alone and he hadn't sensed anyone approaching, he called out, "Hey, who's there?"

Trunks could hear a rustling of the grass in front of him as the dark figure approached. Another lightning strike revealed a face he hadn't seen for a long time.

"Hi, Trunks," said a voice softly. Then a loud, bellowing thunder seemed to shake the world around Trunks's feet. Or was it just his knees? Trunks's jaw was frozen open and he not only remained speechless but awe-stuck as well.

"I know, it's been a while," again spoke the soft voice that seemed to float on the tumultuous winds, calming their ferocity as the sound glided towards trunks. "I just arrived in town yesterday night, and couldn't believe it when I heard you were back. Not only that, but had a V.P. position at Capsule. Even now, standing here right in front of you, I have trouble trusting my eyes."

"I…I can't believe…" Trunks barely muttered in shock.

"I know Trunks," the voice replied. For a few moments the two stood in silence, but then the rain started to pour from the heavens. "If you don't mind, may I come up and out of the rain before I'm soaked through?"

"Yeah…of course," was all Trunks could manage.

With that, the dark silhouette floated upward against the downpour and hopped over the balcony railing. They both stood there for a moment more, each staring at the other as the drops of rain fell from their features.

Trunks finally broke the silence by saying, "Well we better step inside, escape the rain and dry-off a little." The figure still hidden mostly behind the shadows of the night nodded in agreement, and they both headed for the door to Trunks's bedroom.

As they stepped throught the door, Trunks spoke up again, "I'll be right back, I'm gonna go grab a couple of towels real fast." Trunks walked towards the far right of his room, and walked into his bathroom while his guest waited just inside the outside door so not to track water all over the room.

Trunks's bedroom was dimly lit, the only source of light coming from a lamp near his desk. The desk and his bed were on the other side of the room from his bathroom and to the left of a face that was now hidden not by shadows, but by long, damp hair that clung to her face.

As trunks re-emerged from the bathroom with two large bath towels, he gently tossed one of them in the direction of the shivering silhouette. She caught the towel with her right hand, and then with her left hand pulled her hair to the side and out of her face.

"Pan…"

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Again, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter even though a lot didn't really happen. Please, I love it when people review, whether it be good, bad, or whatever, it is all appreciated. Thanks.


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